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In the debate about future trade deals post Brexit one destination has been almost completed ignored: Africa. China and India are the targets for future UK trade but why is Africa off the list? Too poor? Too strange? Too corrupt or violent?

Mainstream media content reflect images of poverty, disease and war and Africa sometimes throws up some real horrors. That reflects a reality but it is not the whole story of Africa. It is the most diverse continent on the planet. Snow on the equator, dense jungle and huge deserts all in the same country? There is wealth and success as well as poverty and failure. The Africa picture is complex but simplified and distorted by much media coverage.

Most of Africa is not at all dramatic or daunting. Today it is increasingly peaceful and prosperous. The rate of infant mortality – a good indicator of general well-being and access to health care – has fallen from around 1200 per thousand in 1990 to 60 per thousand this year. As general health improves, Africa’s population will double from a billion today to over 2 billion by 2050 and the median age will be about 25. That is 10 years younger than the next lowest continent, South America.

Africa’s economic growth rate dropped slightly to about 3.7% last year but is predicted to rise to 4.5% next year, the second highest in the world after East Asia. Listen to Japanese companies that do business in Africa. A recent survey showed more than half would expand their businesses in Africa in the next two years. 71% said increased sales was the driver. Despite a dip in Africa’s growth this year, more than half the companies expect profits to grow next year. McKinsey&Company’s latest report predicts a possible $1 trillion market by 2025 with 400 African companies bringing in an annual revenue of $1 billion.

Africa’s biggest problem has been governance but now only three countries on the continent do not hold regular elections. The process maybe flawed or in some cases, fixed, but fewer and fewer presidents sleep easily on the eve of an election.

English is now the official language in 19 countries including the giants and, despite the colonial past, Brits tend to be given a special welcome. The combined population including South Africa and Nigeria is well over 500 million people. If President Trump allows Power Africa, Barack Obama’s $9.7 billion project to electrify Africa, to continue, it will transform energy throughout the continent. Even if he pulls the plug on it Africa will still be the fastest urbanising continent in the world. The opportunities for Britain in Africa are immense.

"The most secretive, repressive state in Africa is haemorrhaging its citizens. In some months as many Eritreans as Syrians arrive on European shores, yet the country is not convulsed by civil war. Young men and women risk all to escape. Many do not survive, still they flee, to avoid permanent military service and a future without hope. As the United Nations reported: ‘Thousands of conscripts are subjected to forced labour that effectively abuses, exploits and enslaves them for years.’ Eritreans fought for their freedom from Ethiopia for thirty years, only to have their revered leader turn on his own people. Independent since 1993, the country has no constitution and no parliament. No budget has ever been published. Elections have never been held and opponents languish in jail. International organisations find it next to impossible to work in the country. Nor is it just a domestic issue. By supporting armed insurrection in neighbouring states it has destabilised the Horn of Africa. Eritrea is involved in the Yemeni civil war, while the regime backs rebel movements in Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This book tells the untold story of how this tiny nation became a world pariah."

Martin Plaut, the BBC World Service’s former Africa Editor, has published extensively on African affairs. An adviser to the Foreign Office and the US State Department, he is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. @martinplaut

Vanessa Berhe is a human right's activist and founder One Day Seyoum - a campaign launched to raise awareness about the lack of press freedom in Eritrea and put pressure on the Eritrean government to release all the unjustly imprisoned journalists in the country. The organization carries the name of her uncle journalist Seyoum Tsehaye, who was imprisoned in 2001 without a proper trial. She also founded the Free Eritrea Campaign that works to lift up some of the most pressing issues affecting the Eritrean people right now. Migration, intersectional feminism and global development are subjects she is passionate about. @VanessaBerhe

Chair: Dr Idil Osman holds a PhD from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies and her thesis examined the role of diasporic media in conflict zones. She has worked for over a decade as a national and international journalist for the BBC, the Guardian and the Voice of America and is the co-author of ‘Somalia to Europe; Stories of the Somali Diaspora, a book that chronicles the civil war experiences of Somali Europeans and their subsequent migration to the UK. Previously a Teaching Fellow in Media and Communication at University of Leicester's Department of Media and Communication, she's now a Research Associate and Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS. @idil_osman

Copies of Understanding Eritrea Inside Africa’s Most Repressive State by Martin Plaut & published by Hurst, will be on sale at the event.

This event is free and open to all but registration is required via Eventbrite.

"The most secretive, repressive state in Africa is haemorrhaging its citizens. In some months as many Eritreans as Syrians arrive on European shores, yet the country is not convulsed by civil war. Young men and women risk all to escape. Many do not survive, still they flee, to avoid permanent military service and a future without hope. As the United Nations reported: ‘Thousands of conscripts are subjected to forced labour that effectively abuses, exploits and enslaves them for years.’ Eritreans fought for their freedom from Ethiopia for thirty years, only to have their revered leader turn on his own people. Independent since 1993, the country has no constitution and no parliament. No budget has ever been published. Elections have never been held and opponents languish in jail. International organisations find it next to impossible to work in the country. Nor is it just a domestic issue. By supporting armed insurrection in neighbouring states it has destabilised the Horn of Africa. Eritrea is involved in the Yemeni civil war, while the regime backs rebel movements in Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This book tells the untold story of how this tiny nation became a world pariah."

Martin Plaut, the BBC World Service’s former Africa Editor, has published extensively on African affairs. An adviser to the Foreign Office and the US State Department, he is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. @martinplaut

Vanessa Berhe is a human right's activist and founder One Day Seyoum - a campaign launched to raise awareness about the lack of press freedom in Eritrea and put pressure on the Eritrean government to release all the unjustly imprisoned journalists in the country. The organization carries the name of her uncle journalist Seyoum Tsehaye, who was imprisoned in 2001 without a proper trial. She also founded the Free Eritrea Campaign that works to lift up some of the most pressing issues affecting the Eritrean people right now. Migration, intersectional feminism and global development are subjects she is passionate about. @VanessaBerhe

Chair: Dr Idil Osman holds a PhD from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies and her thesis examined the role of diasporic media in conflict zones. She has worked for over a decade as a national and international journalist for the BBC, the Guardian and the Voice of America and is the co-author of ‘Somalia to Europe; Stories of the Somali Diaspora, a book that chronicles the civil war experiences of Somali Europeans and their subsequent migration to the UK. Previously a Teaching Fellow in Media and Communication at University of Leicester's Department of Media and Communication, she's now a Research Associate and Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS. @idil_osman

Copies of Understanding Eritrea Inside Africa’s Most Repressive State by Martin Plaut & published by Hurst, will be on sale at the event.

This event is free and open to all but registration is required via Eventbrite.

Join Us! The Royal African Society and the British Council present Africa in 2017: Prospects & Forecasts– a three city tour of panellists discussing what 2017 has in store for Africa.

Following a year that’s delivered major surprises in Africa and globally, what does 2017 hold for the African continent? Will it be a year of crises or triumphs?

In terms of elections, 2016 witnessed several major votes on the continent that mostly returned incumbent leaders to power; Ghana, which saw another transition of power, proved to be one of very few exceptions in a pattern that saw sitting presidents in the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Gabon, Zambia, Niger and more all re-elected.

Beyond Africa, the UK’s vote to leave the European Union and the US election delivered further political shocks. What impact will these landmark events and uncertainty in the global system mean for Africa? What can we expect from elections scheduled for 2017 in the likes of Angola, Rwanda, Liberia and Kenya?

Economically, the fall in commodity prices continued to hit major economies, in particular Nigeria, while South Africa, again the continent’s largest economy, remains mired in political turmoil and seems unable to tackle declining economic output and rising unemployment. What impact will commodity prices, an uncertain global economic outlook, and China's continued slowdown have on Africa?

Across the continent, vibrant political and social movements emerged, largely driven by Africa’s rising young populations. This demographic also makes up the majority of migrants leaving the continent as well as much of the force behind Africa’s rising prominence in global cultural production in fields as diverse as film, art and music. How are these creative sectors growing and innovating? What impact will these social, cultural and political movements have in 2017?

The office of Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria regrets that he will no longer be able to attend this event.

Chair: Funmi Iyanda

In May 2016, ahead of the London Anti-Corruption Summit, then PM David Cameron was caught on camera calling Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’. In response to this diplomatic gaffe, President Muhammadu Buhari granted that Cameron was ‘telling the truth’ based on a perception of Nigeria, but that his interest lay more in the return of stolen assets held in British banks.

From a domestic angle, there have been various major scandals in which several billions of dollars have been stolen at the highest levels. Buhari has embarked on an energetic anti-corruption campaign (some claim selectively) since coming to power in 2015 on a platform of promising to tackle graft.

But as the Panama papers leak highlighted, corruption of this scale has only been made possible by a network of offshore secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens – many of which are overseen by the UK and directly benefit certain British interests. Thanks to this system, Africa is a net creditor to the rest of the world, and Nigeria is no exception.

Who is really ‘fantastically corrupt’? What is being done to tackle corruption both in Nigeria and internationally? Is this era of economic recession and ongoing security challenges the right one for Nigeria to definitively tackle corruption?

The office of Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria regrets that he will no longer be able to attend this event.

Chair: Funmi Iyanda

In May 2016, ahead of the London Anti-Corruption Summit, then PM David Cameron was caught on camera calling Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’. In response to this diplomatic gaffe, President Muhammadu Buhari granted that Cameron was ‘telling the truth’ based on a perception of Nigeria, but that his interest lay more in the return of stolen assets held in British banks.

From a domestic angle, there have been various major scandals in which several billions of dollars have been stolen at the highest levels. Buhari has embarked on an energetic anti-corruption campaign (some claim selectively) since coming to power in 2015 on a platform of promising to tackle graft.

But as the Panama papers leak highlighted, corruption of this scale has only been made possible by a network of offshore secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens – many of which are overseen by the UK and directly benefit certain British interests. Thanks to this system, Africa is a net creditor to the rest of the world, and Nigeria is no exception.

Who is really ‘fantastically corrupt’? What is being done to tackle corruption both in Nigeria and internationally? Is this era of economic recession and ongoing security challenges the right one for Nigeria to definitively tackle corruption?

In Cuba it seems there will forever be two histories of Fidel Castro. One is the revolutionary who succeeded and became the guiding star for all who saw the world through the lens of Marxist Leninism. The other is the brutal dictator who suppressed democracy and kept his country poor.

There is one place where Castro undoubtedly made a difference: Angola. In 1975 a military coup in Portugal overthrew the dictatorship of Antonio d’Oliveira Salazar. The country was tired of fighting wars in its colonies in Africa, long after Britain and France had pulled out of their African empires.

Angola’s three liberation movements had been fighting the Portuguese but they were at odds with each other and soon civil war broke out. The Movement for the Liberation of Angola, backed by the Soviet Union, was largely coastal and urban. Of the other two, Jonas Savimbi’s (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) was supported by apartheid South Africa and Western countries, and the National Front for the Liberation of Angola ( FNLA), was backed by Angola’s northern neighbour Congo.

The Vietnam war was just drawing to an end but here, on the West Coast of Africa, a new war began which threatened to become a proxy war for the communist and capitalist superpowers. The Americans, whose long and bloody war in Vietnam had scarred the country’s conscience, were not ready for another intervention. From a distance they backed the FNLA and then worked with the South Africans to support UNITA. The Russians and Fidel Castro in Cuba supported the MPLA. But while the big players sought a power-sharing agreement, Castro decided to act. The Russians sent about 1000 advisers, money and prayers but no combat troops. East Germany also sent military assistance. But for Castro this was not just an adventure or purely ideological. Many Cubans are of African origin and come from the Angolan coast. Castro saw an opportunity to exert his brand of international solidarity and make a difference on a global scale. He sent 3,000 combat troops, 300 military advisers as well as tanks and fighter aircraft.

The battleground was Cuito Cuanavale, a small town in the south on the river Lomba and the gateway to south eastern Angola where South Africa was training, supplying and directing Unita forces. The first attacks were in 1983 and a full-scale battle took place in 1986, the biggest battle in Africa since El Alamein in Libya in 1942. The largely white South African army took heavy casualties but held the town and stopped the Angolan offensive, preventing it from advancing south and capturing Savimbi’s headquarters at Jamba. Stalemate but not a situation that South Africa could maintain for long.

Shortly afterwards Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union and began to make overtures to the US. I was in Washington at that time and managed to get a briefing on Angola at the Pentagon. I was shown a satellite photograph of that showed Cuban and East German airforce bases in southern Angola, some south of Cuito Cuanavale. I asked if the South Africans had seen them yet. “They will find out soon enough”, came the reply.

At that extraordinary moment I realised that the world had changed. The Americans had decided that since the Soviet Union was no longer the big threat in the region, the real enemy of peace in southern Africa was the racism of South Africa. The man whose decision to go to war in Angola had triggered this moment was Fidel Castro.

Social entrepreneur Ndidi Nwuneli will share some insights from her new book, Scaling Social Innovation in Africa. Encouraged by the emergence and early impact of social innovators on the African Continent, but frustrated by the slow pace of large scale change, this book is focused on filling the knowledge gap among aspiring and emerging social innovators. It lays out the required building blocks for achieving scale at impact. It also explores the steps for attracting and retaining talent and financing and forming strategic partnerships with the private, public, and non-profit sectors to foster scaling.

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli (@ndidinwuneli) is a serial social entrepreneur based in Nigeria. She is the founder of LEAP Africa, co-founder of AACE Foods, director at Sahel Capital and the African Philanthropy Forum.

Professor Harry Barkema joined the Department of Management at the LSE in 2007. He is the founding Director of the Innovation Co-Creation Lab (ICCL), and is also on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Management (AoM).

The UK spends £1m a day, or $500m a year in the D.R.Congo, in order to support the development of the D.R.Congo, to support democracy and the rule of law, demonstrating the depth of the UK-D.R.Congo relationship. In June 2016, the UK was ready to spend £17m to help fund free and fair elections in the D.R. Congo, however the incumbent D.R.Congo Government and other political actors have demonstrated that they seek to prolong the rule of Joseph Kabila into a third term, which is barred under the D.R, Congo constitution. With the recent launch of a political dialogue that started on the 1st September 2016, it is now clear that it will be impossible to hold presidential elections as planned in November 2016.

Congolese Women based in the UK and the D.R. Congo are united in their concern about the ongoing political crisis and the current situation of instability in the D.R. Congo and are calling for effective security sector reforms, the strengthening of political institutions and the respect of the D.R. Congo constitution.

The speaker panel and Q&A will explore how the UK Government and private sector through implementing OECD guidelines can best support security sector reforms and political institutions to make room for Congolese women’s voices and the implementation of the Congolese constitution as well as National Action Plan on UNSC RES 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

3. Eve Bazaiba MP, Member of the D.R.Congo Parliament and General Secretary of the Mouvement de La liberation du Congo (MLC)@Evebazaiba

4. Catherine Pluyger, Chair of the London United Nation Association and SE Region

The panel will be followed by an audience Q&A.

Active tweeting of the event is encouraged- please use hashtags: #UNSCR1325 and #DRCongo

The meeting is hosted by the Africa APPG (@AfricaAPPG) together with the Royal African Society (@RoyAfriSoc) and Voices of African Women Campaign of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (@UKWILPF &@Peace_Women).

We will begin with a statement by Prof. Nana Araba Apt (Emerita Dean of Academic Affairs, Ashesi University College, Ghana, & Editor of Positioning Ghana) who is unfortuantely no longer able to join us in person.

Over the past 20 years, governing parties have made tremendous efforts to achieve economic development, reduce poverty and boost living standards in Ghana, with varied results. As the country heads to the polls this December, it is a good time to consider what the priorities should be for her next government.

This event brings together representatives of Ghana’s two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), alongside academics and analysts to discuss key issues such as democracy and governance, infrastructure, education, health and technology.

These themes are explored in depth in a newly published book, Positioning Ghana: Challenges and Innovations, which will also be launched at the event. This collection, edited by Professor Nana Araba Apt, who will be speaking on the day, brings together 18 academics, public officers and human development activists to present their ideas about strategies needed to advance Ghana’s development. The focus is very much on solutions.

Light refreshments will be served. Signed copies of the book will be on sale at £20.

Chair: Dr Michael Amoah (Research Associate at the Centre of African Studies, University of London)

Mrs. Charlotte Ama Osei has over two decades of legal, administration, and executive board level experience, and is now the first female Chair of Ghana’s Electoral Commission. Prior to her appointment, Mrs. Osei served for nearly 4 years as the first female Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education, which is the constitutional body mandated to educate Ghanaians on their civic rights and responsibilities, voting rights and knowledge of the constitution.

Mrs. Osei has served as a Barrister-at-Law and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana and as General Counsel & Company Secretary for major financial institutions including the Ghana Commercial Bank, UniBank Ghana Ltd. Mrs. Osei also holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Queen's University, Canada; a Masters in Business Leadership (MBL) from the University of South Africa; a Qualifying Certificate in Law from the Ghana School of Law; and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ghana.

Ahead of the general elections on 7th December 2016, Mrs. Osei joins us to speak about the transformation, planning and delivery process of the commission, with a particular focus digital technology.

DrMichaelAmoah is a Research Associate at the Centre of African Studies at SOAS. He specializes in the International Politics of Africa, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy. His doctoral work on Ghana was published as Volume 19 of the International Library of African Studies under the Tauris Academic Series, with the title "Reconstructing the Nation in Africa: the politics of nationalism in Ghana". His publications include "The Most Difficult Decision Yet: Ghana's 2008 Presidential Election", African Journal of Political Science and International Relations (April 2009). He is also the author of "Nationalism, Globalization, and Africa" (Palgrave Macmillan 2011)

This event is free and open to all, but space is limited. Please reserve your place on Eventbrite.

Somali culture has two lives. It lives both in the Somali language and in translation. It comes from Somali people writing in many different languages and making connections between Somali culture and the wider world.

From the launch of the Somali translation of From a Crooked Rib by Nuruddin Farah to performances by Somali poets, both from the Somali territories and living in the UK, this event will showcase the literary work of Somali artists and the translators who have brought their work to a larger audience.

Panel 1: Book launch and in conversation with Nuruddin Farah and Abdisalam Hereri

From a Crooked Rib by Nuruddin Farahwas first published in 1970. It tells a coming of age story about a young nomad woman escaping an arranged marriage. Farah wrote the book in English while studying in India. After the novel was published in Europe,Nuruddin Farah quickly gained international acclaim, but his work was never available in Somali.

During a book tour in Europe during the 1970’s Farahwas warned that Somali authorities planned to arrest him. Since then he has lived abroad, writing many more novels in English and becoming a leading figure in Somali Studies. After 46 years, From a Crooked Rib has now been translated into Somali by a renowned TV and radio producer, Abdisalam Hereri.

Somali Week Festival is proud to celebrate this achievement by inviting Nuruddin Farah &Abdisalam Hereri to launch the Somali translation of From a Crooked Rib at the festival. Nuruddin Farah and Abdisalam Hereri.

Panel 2: Somali Poetry - Readings and Panel Discussion

This evening will continue with readings of Somali poetry from poets living in the Somali territories and based in the UK. The poems will be read in Somali by the poets and in English by their translators. After the readings the poets and translators will hold a discussion of Somali poetry and translation, relating their different perspectives as poets and translators from different backgrounds working in different traditions.

Poets Cabdul qaadir Cabdi Shube and Mahamed Mahamud Yasiin “Dheeg” who live and work in the Somali territories will launch their newly translated poems. The English versions have been prepared by Maxamed Hassan ‘Alto’ and English poet Bill Herbert thanks to our collaboration with the Poetry Translation Centre. Alto, a Somali translator and journalist and Bill have worked on many translations of Somali poets together, including poems by Hadraawi and Garriye.

They will perform alongside CaashaLul Mohamad Yusuf and Clare Pollard. Caasha grew up in Somalia but has lived in the UK since 1990. She is fast emerging as one of the most exciting young poets living in the Somali diaspora. Caasha, Clare, and Alto have worked together for years translating Caasha’s poems from Somali into English and their collaboration continues.

These poets will be joined by Elmi Ali, a British born Somali writer, and spoken-word artist based in the North-West of England. He has performed his work in the Power House Library in Mosside and at the British Library, as part of the Africa Writes festival. He has been published in Sable15 and Critical Muslim.

The Participants

Nuruddin Farah is a world renowned, prize winning Somali novelist. Writing in English, Farah established his international reputation in 1970 with his first novel From a Crooked Rib. Farah lived in self-imposed exile for 22 years after the publication of his second novel A Naked Needle. Since then he has lived and worked away from his homeland as a novelist, playwright and leading figure in Somali Studies. He has said he sees his work as an attempt "to keep my country alive by writing about it".

Abdisalam Hereri is a renowned TV and radio producer.

Caasha Lul Mohamad Yusuf is fast emerging as one of the most exciting young poets living in the Somali diaspora. Like all Somalis, Caasha grew up in a culture steeped in poetry and while she was young she started to compose her own poems. Her work began getting published on Somali websites in 2008 and, since then, she hasrapidly garnered a great deal of praise for her ability to infuse her poetry with fresh imagery enlivened by telling details. Caasha came to the UK in 1990 having fled the Somali Civil War. She now has three children, a steady job, and a growing career as a poet.

Mahamed Mahamud Yasiin “Dheeg” is a poet, first generation Somali playwright, and songwriter, born and bred in the suburbs of Hargeysa district, Somaliland. He is a former member of the first artist troupe established in the city in the early 50s called WalaalahaHargeysa. His literary production is acclaimed for its variety and combination of the serious poetic style conforming to tradition, and the modern song poem known for its captivating appeal and easiness. Dheeg is a symbol of the older generation and its passion for poetry, but also an entertainer who appeals to the young urban middle classes.

Cabdul qaadir Cabdi Shube was born in the Nugal region, and raised in a nomadic area. He comes from a long line of poets who are popular for preserving the tradition of their ancestors.He was also member of Horseed band, and his artistic work touched on many topics, including politics, peace, and reconciliation. He currently lives with his wife and children in Garoowe.

Elmi Ali is a writer, performer/facilitator based in the North-West of England. He writes poetry, short fiction and for the stage. His performances have been received in venues across the country from the Power House Library in Mosside to the British Library. His latest work is published in Sable15 and Critical Muslim 13 respectively. He facilitates voicing it, a weekly Creative Writing Lab at Contact Manchester and is associate editor at Scarf Magazine.

Maxamed Hassan 'Alto' was born in 1960. He studied in Somalia and Soviet Union and has an MA in Journalism. Since 2004 he has been a teacher in Somali language at SOAS London. He is a writer and freelance journalist and has published and edited many books in Somali language. He has worked closely with Dr Martin Orwin on a number of Somali poetry translations and is closely involved with the Poetry Translation Centre.

W.N. Herbert is an acclaimed UKpoet. His most recent collection, Bad Shaman Blues (Bloodaxe, 2006), was shortlisted for the TS Eliot and Saltire Prizes. He’s currently working on a book of translations of contemporary Chinese poetry with Yang Lian. Bill is based in Newcastle.

Clare Pollard received an Eric Gregory Award in 2000 and was named by The Independent as one of their 'Top 20 Writers Under 30'. Her first poetry collection, The Heavy-Petting Zoo, was published in 1998 and her second and third collections, Bedtime and Look, Clare! Look!, were published in 2002 and 2005 respectively. As a writer, Clare is very concerned with bearing witness to the times in which we live. Her work has frequently engaged with contemporary concerns, from our confessional media culture in Bedtime, to climate change in her play The Weather and globalisation in Look, Clare! Look!.

About the Royal African Society

The Royal African Society is Britain's prime Africa organisation. Now more than 100 years old, its in-depth, long-term knowledge of the continent and its peoples makes the Society the first stop for anyone wishing to know more.

We foster a better understanding of Africa in the UK and throughout the world - its history, politics, culture, problems and potential.

We disseminate knowledge and insight to make a positive difference to Africa's development. We celebrate the diversity and depth of African culture.